While there are tons of YouTube videos out there, not many can actually make you stop and pay attention.
A California taxidermist has grabbed his 15 minutes of fame and knows it. Now he just hopes it garners some business.
In an ad for his Ojai Valley Taxidermy, Chuck Testa holds the spotlight with his wry delivery. It appears to begin as a farce, with some of his mounts being shown in natural settings.
“You probably thought they were alive. Nope. They’ve been taxidermized by Chuck Testa. I specialize in the most lifelike dead animals anywhere. Period,” he deadpans.
In comic absurdity, viewers are treated of more of his works in outrageous situations. “Look at that antelope driving a car.” Each time Testa pops up and says, “Nope, it’s just Chuck Testa.”
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The spot is the brainchild of Rhett & Link: Commerical Kings. Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, who star on the Independent Film Channel with their off-the-wall pieces, approached Testa with the script and made the spot, which recently topped 5 million views on YouTube.
Web sites like the CNBC, the Huffington Post, Movieline.com and Tosh.O have done pieces on the ad and Testa's quick-found fame. He’s even been ripped for wearing a Nazi pin on his hat, but he responded that he retrieved it in a battle as part of historical group that does World War II reenactments.
The Web sensation has gotten his business in Ojai, a mountain town of 7,800 northwest of Los Angeles, some attention and he’s sold 20 T-shirts, but he told CNBC it’s too early to tell if he will get any taxidermy work.
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"My clients are losing homes, so where are they going to put their deer heads?"
He will take work from anywhere, but states in the ad he does not do pets.